PILIBOSIAN, Helene 1933-

PERSONAL:

Born June 26, 1933, in Boston, MA; daughter of Khachadoor and Yeghsa Pilibosian; married Hagop Sarkissian (a photo-compositor), September 17, 1960; children: Sharon Sarkissian Hekimian, Robert. Ethnicity: "Armenian." Education: Harvard University, A.D.A., 1960. Religion: Armenian Apostolic. Hobbies and other interests: Travel, reading, attending concerts and museums.

ADDRESSES:

Home—171 Maplewood St., Watertown, MA 02472-1324. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Editor, publisher, and author. Armenian Mirror-Spectator, Watertown, MA, editor, 1964-66 and 1975-81. Ohan Press, Watertown, MA, founder and publisher.

MEMBER:

National Association for Armenian Studies and Research, Watertown Poetry Group.

AWARDS, HONORS:

First prize, Writer's Digest Self-Published Book awards, 1998, for At Quarter Past Reality.

WRITINGS:

Carvings from an Heirloom: Oral History Poems, Ohan Press (Watertown, MA), 1983.

(With father, Khachadoor Pilibosian) They Called Me Mustafa: Memoir of an Immigrant, Ohan Press (Watertown, MA), 1992, 2nd edition, 1999.

(Editor) Hagop Sarkissian, From Kessab to Watertown: A Modern Saga, Ohan Press (Watertown, MA), 1996.

At Quarter Past Reality: New and Selected Poems, Ohan Press (Watertown, MA), 1998.

Contributor of poems to magazines.

WORK IN PROGRESS:

Cinderella's Secret; The Everydream Theme: A Fantasy; and Slices of Place, all works of poetry.

SIDELIGHTS:

Helene Pilibosian told CA: "I find writing necessary for self-expression and identity. Depending on publication or awards, I feel gratified by writing prose or poetry. Publication in many literary magazines and interested feedback from editors or readers keep the cycle of publishing and writing going.

"I have been influenced in prose writing and in subject matter by my work as editor at the Armenian Mirror-Spectator, an English-language Armenian newspaper for which I have written many articles and book reviews. I find the writing of poetry different and more emotional in nature. Thus it is influenced by people who inspire me and by the encouragement of publications and reviews.

"I write little prose these days, but when I do, I still take notes or make an outline, then write out the article on the computer. I have been steadily working at poetry for almost twenty years. As principal of Ohan Press, I published my first two books of poems, Carvings from an Heirloom and At Quarter Past Reality. I write when inspiration is high, then later revise or completely rewrite, sometimes in many versions.

"I have written about my family, place, and Armenian-American experiences because of strong family ties and my Armenian background. I wrote They Called Me Mustafa: Memoir of an Immigrant with my father Khachadoor, editing translations of his poems that were included in a second edition."